Boo Hoo, My View

We had a nasty storm system move over the Kenai Peninsula and South Central Alaska this week. All Labor Day weekend the winds whipped. Our little camp trailer shuddered and shook. When we spent the night at our cabin Monday night, the winds whipped again. We were concerned about some trees very close to the cabin.

The Fisherman spent all day Tuesday cutting down trees in the pouring rain. We hated to cut them but it was a serious concern to think that winds might topple them onto our cabin, especially if it happens after we leave for the winter. What a loss that would cause, having a raw Alaska winter dump right into our cabin through wind damaged roof or walls.

Well, Tuesday night, September 5th, it hit. Winds around Anchorage reached 100 mph. They did quite a bit of damage. To the extent that all Anchorage schools were closed Wednesday, including the university. I even heard that, with power outages and wind damage, the Anchorage Daily News didn't get their newspaper printed Wednesday. Power went out for 1000's of residents and is still out for many.

Thankfully, our cabin sustained no damage. No trees fell on it, though one of our favorite cottonwoods came down and the top branches were touching the cabin's front wall. That was close! Two trees behind the cabin fell onto the shed The Fisherman just finished roofing last week, but they also did no damage. Whew!

As for the "yard", well, we had several trees blow over. Because of the permafrost under ground, trees can't get a deep root system. We have trees toppled over, roots and all. The Fisherman had to break out the chain saw just to travel our road in some spots.

And alas, my view is altered. :-(

I'm sad. One of my favorite trees is leaning over, rather ruining that spectacular arrangement of four white trunked trees which I love looking through out to the mountains beyond.

Whereas just last week, this was our view.......

Now our view looks like this......

Boo hoo.

I'm actually quite sad. In perspective, of course, it's trivial. We still have a gorgeous view. We are blessed to have sustained no damage to our cabin on which The Fisherman has done so much hard work to build for us. But I will miss the perfect arrangement of those four trees. The tree that is now leaning over was a critical design element, spacing the four trees at interesting distances from each other. Now there are three trees spaced evenly apart, which is not as interesting.

But gratitude prevails and I am thankful. Thankful for the view we enjoyed for six years. Thankful for no damage. Thankful for our cabin, our shed, The Fisherman's hard work and willingness to provide for us. Thankful for our remaining view. Thankful for those white trunked trees and the mountains in the distance. Thankful that we have been given so much and spared even more.